A Primary Voice
When was the last time that Oregon’s vote in a primary mattered in terms of a presidential election? Not in my memory. And you can feel the excitement everywhere in Portland (particularly Portland, since it is home to most of Oregon’s Democrats). The newschannels are making a big deal about it, The Oregonian is trumpeting our decisiveness, and so on. So this week’s song, “A Primary Voice,” pays tribute to the excitement in the air. And, just as the lyrics say about Oregon’s primary, this song too will be very dated by next week. “That’s okay,” my spouse Jennifer says, “you’ll have a new song by then anyway.” True, true.
Also, for those of you counting, this is song 13 of 52 in the One Year of Portland Songs Blog, which means that as of this week we are 1/4 of the way done with the year...
Lyrics:
We never thought we would see the day
When Oregon’s voice would be heard in this way.
The odds seemed outlandish, the prospect poor:
We assumed it would be just like 2004.
After North Carolina just two weeks ago,
We thought our chances were next to zero.
But thanks to Clinton’s staying power
We get the chance to have our finest hour.
Our vote actually matters!
Who’d have guessed that we’d get a choice?
Our vote actually matters!
Oregon is finally a primary voice.
Though mail-in voting is less dramatic,
Nevertheless, we’re all feeling ecstatic.
There’s a giddy laugh, there’s a quiet smile
(At least for those of us to the left of the aisle).
The polls data tells us it’s Obama for sure,
It’s a foregone conclusion, the pundits aver.
But nevertheless we get our time in the sun,
While our fifty-two delegates wait to be won.
Our vote actually matters!
Who’d have guessed that we’d get a choice?
Our vote actually matters!
Oregon is finally a primary voice.
Our vote actually matters!
Who’d have guessed that we’d get a choice?
Our vote actually matters!
Oregon is finally a primary voice.
There’s only one thing that’s left to add,
Just a little thing that could make us mad.
Something so we don’t feel forlorn:
Please don’t forget us come Wednesday morn!
Our vote actually matters!
Who’d have guessed that we’d get to speak?
Our vote actually matters!
But we’ll be old news by this time next week.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The songs on the One Year of Portland Songs Blog are entirely free, but if you’d like to you are welcome to throw a tip in the tip jar.